Undesirable cut end portions of casting strands occur at the beginning and at the end of a strand. Exceptions are intermediate sections where strand sections, which have become useless due to strand ruptures, are removed from the area of the strand casting plant. Transport of discarded end portions does not take place via the usual route used for transporting cast strand material. The apparatus for removal of end portions consists of a transverse removal apparatus. The start of casting operations in multi-strand casting plants results, upon separating the initiation strand from the casting strand, in end portions which are sometimes fused with a portion of the beginning strand head. With the exception of minor time differentials, all end portions of all casting paths or veins of one multi-strand casting plant arrive simultaneously at a transverse transport apparatus area. Transport devices known from rolling mill operation are generally not applicable, as end portions in strand casting plants have considerably higher weights. End portions in strand casting plants may weigh up to 3 tons and more.
It is known in German disclosure No. 1.805.239 to push not only end portions, but normal strand sections as well, individually or together across several parallel conveyors onto a cooling bed, by means of a straightedge extending over several conveyor path rollers in longitudinal direction of the casting veins, and moving in transverse direction to the course of the strand. This type of apparatus is too involved for the removal of end portions. Furthermore, the sliding path of the straightedge increases unfavorably with an increasing number of strand veins.